Calif. lawmaker: Silence on Palin visit unlawful
SACRAMENTO, CA
Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, filed a public records request
with California State University, Stanislaus last week, requesting
any documents related to the former Alaska governor's scheduled
June 25 speech to mark the school's 50th anniversary.
The university's compliance officer, Gina Leguria, responded to
Yee on Tuesday, saying there were no such documents.
Yee said he has evidence to the contrary. On Wednesday, he
circulated a March 29 e-mail sent from a top university
administrator to faculty and staff that he said should have been
disclosed.
In the e-mail, Susana Gajic-Bruyea, vice president for
university advancement, justifies the choice of Palin, who commands
speaking fees as high as $100,000.
Gajic-Bruyea said the high-profile -- and controversial -- public
figure would attract significant interest and boost attendance at
the black-tie gala, whose tickets cost $500 each. She stressed that
private donations would fund the event hosted by the nonprofit CSU
Stanislaus Foundation.
"Not a cent of state funds will be used for this event," she
wrote.
Yee said Gajic-Bruyea's e-mail is the sort of document that
should have been provided in response to his public records
request. He has asked the state attorney general to investigate the
matter.
"What other documents and correspondence are they hiding?" Yee
said.
Evan Westrup, an attorney general's office spokesman, said the
office had received Yee's request and would review it.
University spokeswoman Eve Hightower said that the fundraiser is
a foundation event and that all public records requests are being
referred to foundation board president Matt Swanson. She did not
respond to Yee's accusations related to Gajic-Bruyea's e-mail.
The Associated Press and other organization have sought details
of the compensation package provided to Palin in exchange for her
appearance. The foundation has said its contract with Palin
prevents it from revealing that information, and on Wednesday it
rejected the AP's public records request, citing the non-disclosure
clause.
Yee said no contract stipulation can override the California
Public Records Act, but a 2001 state appeals court ruling could
give the foundation grounds for disputing its public records
obligations. The court ruled that auxiliary associations acting on
behalf of public bodies are not subject to public records requests.
To address that loophole, Yee is sponsoring a state bill that
would require campus foundations and auxiliary organizations to
adhere to public records requirements. The measure passed the
Senate in January and awaits an Assembly hearing.
Yee said Wednesday that there is significant overlap between CSU
Stanislaus and its foundation arm. He notes all but one member of
the foundation's staff and several officers from its board are
university employees, and the foundation conducts its board
meetings and day-to-day operations on the main university campus.
"There is not a fine line or even a blurry line between the
foundation and the public university; there is absolutely no
line," Yee said.